LUCIAN, MAXIMIAN AND JULIAN OF BEAUVAIS

Saints Lucian, Maximian and Julian suffered for Christ in the vicinity of the modern French city of Beauvais in ancient Gaul. Saints Lucian, Maximian and Julian suffered for Christ in the vicinity of the modern French city of Beauvais in ancient Gaul. These martyrs were among the most revered of the ancient Gallic saints. Their memory in the Orthodox Church is celebrated on June 16 (3).

Very little historical information has been preserved about the lives of the three holy martyrs. Apparently, they were wandering preachers. Julian was a bishop, Maximian was a presbyter, and Julian was a deacon. According to ancient legend, it was Lucian who was the first bishop of the city of Beauvais. Together with fellow preachers, Maximian and Julian, they set out to preach Christianity in Gaul from Italy.

Before the systematic persecution of Diocletian (284–305), Christians most often suffered from spontaneous anger of pagans. The latter brought ridiculous accusations against them, considered them atheists, and accused them of renouncing traditional Roman values ​​and local customs. Instigators from among the people, often literally possessed by demons, infuriated the crowd. This contributed to the itinerant nature of the preaching. For evangelists, the opportunity remained, in accordance with the words of the Lord in the Gospel (Matthew 10:14), to move from one place to another, and thus hide from persecutors.

With the proclamation of systematic persecution of Christians, the Roman administration began to brutally persecute them. Even if they went to another place, execution awaited them everywhere. Then, at the end of the 3rd century, Lucian, Maximian and Julian were arrested and executed. Their relics were discovered in the vicinity of the city of Beauvais, and a basilica was erected above the place where they were found.

Subsequent tradition expanded their life story. Attempts have been made to reconstruct their biography and the details of their suffering. Thus, the life says that, in the image of the ancient Parisian bishop, Saint Denis, Lucian, beheaded with a sword, took his head in his hands and walked to the place where at the end of the 6th century a famous Abbey St Lucian was built. Hagiology, that is, the science of saints, calls such saints “cephalophore.” Like the Head of John the Baptist, which, having fallen silent, denounced Herod’s sin even more, the holy martyrs continued to convert people to Christ even after death. Like the icon, the life contains many other details rich in sacred semantics.

Tradition has preserved for us the martyr’s confession of faith of Saint Julian: “I believe with my heart and confess with my mouth that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.” It turns out that we, Orthodox believers, regularly repeat these words in prayer before communion. Such is God’s providence for the Church, which is the Society of Believers and the Communion of Saints. The history of the veneration of saints Lucian, Maximian and Julian as a separate book. It contains many unique images of the amazing civilization of ancient Orthodox holiness in the Christian West.

These days, there is an airport near Beauvais that attracts travelers to Paris on low-cost airlines. From the window of a plane, in the sky and on the ground, may the blessing of St. Lucian and other local saints be visible in commemoration and prayer.